Every fall, skiers and snowboarders start fantasizing about the upcoming winter season, nurturing the stoke with the latest ski film on the market. These days—thanks to advances in camera technology and a proliferation of ski resorts—it's relatively easy to capture legendary lines, cringeworthy crashes, and everything in between. But there was a time when making ski films was essentially a one-man-show. That man was Warren Miller. For the past 60 years, Miller's annual ski films heralded the beginning of winter for ski bums around the country. Now, one year and one day since Miller's death at the age of 93, the new documentary Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story will have its world premiere on January 25 at 7 p.m. at the 2019 Slamdance Film Festival (January 25-31). 

Directed by the award-winning filmmaker Patrick Creadon and produced by Christine O'Malley and Jeff Conroy, the documentary delves into Miller's personal life and decades-long career through never-before-seen archival footage and interviews with Miller's family, friends, and colleagues. Also in the film, Miller's final on-camera interview before his death on January 24, 2018. Whether you've been watching Miller's annual ski films since his first flick, Deep and Light (1950), or you're a more recent fan, Ski Bum offers a new perspective on the classic moments, the far-flung destinations, and the challenges Miller overcame to indulge his passion for filmmaking, while living the ultimate ski bum lifestyle—parking lot camping and all. 

Unless you could screen the film at the top of a mountain, there could hardly be a better venue for Ski Bum than Slamdance. Less about glamour and hype than Sundance and thoroughly focused on providing a platform for filmmakers (hence the motto "for filmmakers by filmmakers"), Slamdance certainly seems appropriate for a film about Miller, a consummate outdoorsman who did almost all the shooting, editing, narrating, and distributing of his own films year after year. In addition to the filmmakers, the premiere will also be attended by world-renowned skiers Scot Schmidt, Dan Egan, John Egan, Jonny Moseley, Kristen Ulmer and Colby James West. The athlete-entourage will pay tribute to the man who reminded people that "The best place in the world to ski is where you're skiing that day."

Don't worry if you can't make it into the world premiere, Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story will have two additional screenings during Slamdance. Immediately following the premiere, there will be an encore screening at 9:15 p.m. on January 25th and another screening on January 28. Tickets are $14 and can be purchased either online via the Slamdance website or at the Treasure Mountain Inn (255 Main St).